Chapter 504 Chapter 504
Tripp leaned against the wall and watched the big man slowly come out of it. To get him sitting up in that chair had taken both of them and even then, it had been a struggle. The chair was barely visible now that he was in it. They’d had to use a rope to tie him upright and then bound his wrists. Amari had joked that Tripp’s bag was magical because he had rope, wire, and ties and asked if he had a candy section in there too. Magic had nothing to do with it, he just liked to be prepared for all scenarios. Of course, accidental marking, there was nothing that could have prepared him for that.
A low growl came from the man, confirming that he was correct in identifying he was from a bear clan. That made Tripp feel a bit better that his sense of smell was still working. He was surprised because the whole time they were moving him, all he could smell was her and if he hadn’t needed her help, he would have told her to go outside for his own peace of mind.
By the time he came back with food, his cat suddenly understood the severity of what had happened and was quiet and watchful now. Too little, too late, asshole was all Tripp could think—and he thought it on a loop every time he sensed his animal.
He glanced at the bathroom door and wondered what Amari was doing in there, the door was open but he couldn’t see in it without moving, and right now he was supposed to be watching this guy as he woke up. The dart gun was in his hand, just in case, this idiot decided he didn’t need his hands anymore and struggled against the wire wrapped around them.
The bathroom light went off and Amari came out and set her bag on the bed. She had put her jeans on, and for that he was thankful, the less skin of hers he had to caress with his eyes, the easier it should be to focus. The oversized shirt was now pulled to one side and knotted by her hip. When she turned and looked at him, he felt like he was punched in the gut. She’d done something with her hair that made it look like feathers in the breeze each time she moved her head. She smiled at him, an excited look on her face.
“Almost showtime.”
She was wearing some kind of lipstick or something on her lips. No other makeup, just her pouty mouth was covered in pale pink shiny stuff. Tripp wanted to go over and taste the shit and that annoyed him off. He didn’t need to be thinking about her mouth under his. Pushing away from the wall, he went over and picked up his coffee cup, and swallowed the last mouthful of the cold bitter liquid.
When he turned around, she was squatted down in front of the man, looking up at him.
“Wakey, wakey,” she tapped him on the cheek with the palm of her hand, “open those eyes, asshole, I have better things to do than watching you sleep.” She glanced over at Tripp and the look she gave him heated all the blood in his body at once.
Shit. Clearing his throat, he moved back to the corner, furthest from her so he wouldn’t do something stupid, like tossing her on the bed, “stay clear in case I have to shoot him again.”
The man moaned, and her attention was back on him. She moved back just enough that Tripp would have a clear shot if needed but was still bent down her face almost in his. “Yeah, the headache is intense isn’t it, like your worst hangover ever.”
She sounded way too enthusiastic right now and that made him worry that she was going to go off the rails again. He glanced to see she didn’t have her boots on, and from the small portion of the waist of her jeans that he could see, she wasn’t wearing her belt either. It wasn’t as reassuring as it should have been though, she’d already proven that she didn’t need a weapon to do damage.
“That’s it, swallow down that bile,” she reached out and tapped his cheek again, “nice, right, and what about the taste? Nasty, huh?” When their prisoner lifted his head and squinted at her, she waved her hand, “remember me? Last time you saw me I was tied to a fucking tree.” The poor sap in the chair stiffened. “Hey, I wouldn’t struggle if I were you,” she straightened up and made a point to look behind the chair, “that wire is tight and right across your wrists,” she moved back into his view, “you could lose a hand and I’m pretty sure that shit doesn’t grow back when you shift.” She shrugged, “not that you’re ever shifting again.”
Tripp watched the expression on his face change when he realized how screwed he was. When he stilled, he hoped that meant he was going to behave, because he really didn’t have time to wait for him to come out of it if he had to put him down again.
The man’s eyes locked on her again and stupidly screamed retribution. Oh, buddy, you aren’t very smart at all. Tripp couldn’t help smirking.
“I’m Amari,” she put her hand on her chest, “we weren’t formally introduced, well, because I was unconscious with a bag over my head,” she stood up and then motioned to Tripp, “and the sexy one in the corner is Tripp. We’ll be your interrogators for today,” she leaned down on her knees so she was level with his face again, “and if you’re a good boy, you might see tomorrow,” she shrugged and went over to the wallet on the dresser, and flipped it open. “Darrel, huh?” She dropped it back on the dresser and leaned back against it and crossed her arms over her chest.
Darrel looked at her for a second and then turned his dark eyes to look at him again. Tripp understood all too well the hatred in his eyes and lifted the dart gun so he could take note of that, just in case he was trying to formulate a plan to get himself out of this situation.
“Oh,” Amari pushed away from the dresser and went into the bathroom. He heard the water turn on, then she came out carrying a glass, “I almost forgot how dry you get after the darts.” She went over to him and grabbed his chin and jerked his head up, “open wide.”
For whatever reason, Tripp thought she was actually going to give the man a drink. Instead, she tipped the glass and the water poured over his face. Maybe if he was lucky, a few drops landed in his mouth.
“Refreshed now?” She went over and put the glass on the dresser. “When you’re feeling chatty, I’ll pour some in your mouth.” She nodded and then gave him a cold smile.